Gottheimer, Pascrell Support House Passage Of Infrastructure Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) was part of a group of moderate Democrats pushing for passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. On Friday, Gottheimer and his fellow Democratic rabble rousers saw the vote pass.

Congress passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which will now be sent to the Senate, and, eventually, to President Joe Biden's desk.

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Gottheimer, along with Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-9), had praise for the passage, which they said will help New Jersey residents.

"Today’s votes represent a major victory for New Jersey, for pragmatic problem solving, and for helping our middle class families," said Gottheimer.

He continued:

"We are sending the once-in-a-century Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to the President’s desk and are preparing to send a reconciliation package to the Senate that will reinstate SALT and cut taxes for New Jersey families. The historic infrastructure legislation will help build the new Gateway Train Tunnel, fix our crumbling roads, bridges, and NJ Transit, address climate resiliency, and help get lead out of our children’s drinking water. It will also invest in electric vehicles and broadband for the unconnected, and it will help create two million jobs a year for the next decade."

Gottheimer saw protests outside his Bergen County office and home over his stance, which, in part, delayed movement on a budget bill that includes social safety net and climate policy.

"This is a huge win for New Jersey, for bipartisan governing, for common sense, and for our hard-working families. I’m proud to have played a critical role in getting these historic pieces of legislation across the finish line — all with the goal of improving the lives of North Jersey families and benefiting small businesses," said Gottheimer.

Both Gottheimer and Pascrell voted in favor of the bill. Though he belived this to be a first step to fulfilling a "mandate to rebuild America" from voters, he added that the bigger overall "Build Back Better" is the most important step.

"Despite its extraordinary nature, today’s vote is an hors d’oeuvre that will be insufficient without the main course of Build Back Better," said Pascrell.

He continued:

"We need investments in families, in environment, and in true tax reforms that can provide fairness. This is especially true for the middle-class tax relief New Jerseyans demand with to alleviate the Republican SALT cap. The writers of this bill deserve much credit for garnering significant bipartisan support which is no small feat in our era of hyper partisanship. But if this package is the skeletal system of a new America, the Build Back Better Act is its heart."

According to a release from Pascrell's Office, the physical infrastructure investment includes around $550 billion in new federal investment in America’s roads, rail, bridges, and water infrastructure. "The bill will grow the economy, enhance our competitiveness, create good paying union jobs, and make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and equitable," said the release.

It is also expected to create around two million jobs per year over the course of a decade and tackle the climate crisis, the office said.